Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-07-16

crafty scattering them like pearls
over his library floor in frenzy of
passion. Well, a very mild edition of
these uncanny sensations crept over
one when invited to handle the multi
tude of shining teeth spread out upon
the counter. They look so human,
these artificial fragments of the
living body, that involuntarily the
observer looks to see them close
viciously on fingers doing such indis-
criminate handling. The teeth come
in cases, being most carefully arranged
in nice grades that to the inexper-
fenced eye seem wonderfully alike.
Every conceivable style and express
sion, however, is wrought out in the
small smooth tablets. No two indi-
viduals have teeth exactly alike, and
one Of the greatest of late improve
ments is in making false sets to re-
semble closely natures own design.
The slightest variation, to be either a
triflle too long or a shade too short,
will utterly mar the effect desired.
They must be no wider or fuller or at
once the unhappy wearer assumes the
expression of the woman who has
bitten off more than she can chew,
and looks as though she was
under the dominion of her teeth.
They are made single teeth, doublets
and triplets, but only twenty-eight in
set. Wisdom teeth are not needed
by any one able to pick his teeth for
himself; he has graduated them into
a property-holder. Dental gums are
manufactured largely, both in this
country and Europe. The medium
red is the favorite, although black
gum, Objectionable on account of
color, is the purest and best. 1t is
singular that to the great perfection
they have brought the art of making
teeth it should seem so impossible to
strike the deep, healthy pink of the
natural flesh. All the artificial has a
purplish tinge that is ugly and spoils
the effect of otherwise excellent
work.
Another thing to which dentists
should undoubtedly turn their attention
is the necessity OF making some kind
of spring or fastening for holding teeth
firmly in the mouth. One-half the
people who wear them seem divided
between a desire to spit the things out
and go it alone or hold on by one
tooth. 1t is both exciting and debil-
itating to the spectator to watch the
unending sport and exercise most per-
Sons have with their bought teeth.
They begin by pushing the plate
gently with their tongue until the en-
tire structure looks ready to drop.
Just at that critical moment an in
drawing suck and snap is heard and
one jumps forward thinking all twenty
eight have lodged in the epiglottis
The fun has just begun in earnest.
The owner tries to see how often he
can accomplish this feat in sixty sec
onds, succeeding meanwhile in making
a large number of uncomely faces.
Another change of the play here
appears; the teether becomes
thoughtful, and chews his ivories in a
and meditative manner.
He does not make much noise, only a
click every two seconds as sort of
accompaniment that sets
every nerve on edge. The last state
of that man is worse than the first, for
he gets playful and begins to worry his.
dental annex as dog would bone.
He chases his teeth all around his
mouth, corners them, pretends he is
going to swallow, and let's them go
again, when the game begins anew.
1t may be lots of pleasure for those
who have put money in teeth and
want the good of their bargain, but for
lookers-on no phase of the
false tooth is more excruciating.
Some of the latest inventors are
very ingenious, where one, two or
three artificial incisors or bicuspids
may be introduced in with the natu-
raj teeth and entirely escape observa-
tion. To do this the shape and color
is OF prime importance, and unless
one has tried to match sample they
can have no idea of the difficulty in
getting two teeth exactly alike.
1t is a part of the busi-
ness OF a depot to fill
orders for single teeth, and sometimes
an afternoon is consumed in hunting
up mate for one suit. 1t is the same
endless variation nature observes in
all her manifold works demanding ad-
miration. The method of drawing a
tooth and SO Immediately introducing
a false one that it will be firmly in
closed in the gum, is too painful pro-
cess ever to become popular, and in
its place the new mode of fastening a
false tooth in the crown of the old one
is used.